Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

The need for systems to support working-aged individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in finding employment was highlighted by their desires and strengths to persevere. Researchers have shown that adults with ASD want to pursue a post-secondary degree at a university or college and want to work after graduation (Van Bergeijk, 2008). This qualitative action research investigation focused on cultivating inclusive and equitable internship opportunities tailored for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students diagnosed with ASD. The objective was to enhance their preparedness for successful employment transitions post-college. The study was conducted at Closter University (CU) (pseudonym) to gain deeper insights into their participation and experiences within the internship program facilitated by career services.

Committee: Davin Carr-Chellman Dr (Committee Chair) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2007, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

There is an expanding body of literature on the retention of students in higher education through programmatic efforts, but there is limited research on African-American students' perceptions of the impact of retention programs and services at predominantly White institutions. Programs and services are created by administrators, faculty and staff on college and university campuses for the purpose of increasing the retention of African-American students and a diverse student body, but many are based on the professionals' perceptions of students' needs. Rarely are programs and services created through dialogue from the student population that will be served or by what I call “listening to the voices” of the students. The premise of this qualitative study is to ascertain if African-American students find retention programs and services beneficial to their persistence on their respective campuses. This study explores the experiences of African-American junior and senior, traditional-aged, full-time, undergraduate students with a grade point average of 3.0 or below exclusively at four predominantly White institutions in Pennsylvania. The experiences of African-American students are different from other groups, including White males, white females and other minority groups. The use of focus groups permits dialogue that enables a researcher to be able to hear first-hand from African-American students giving voice to their personal feelings of the impact of retention programs and services at predominantly White institutions.

Committee: Robert Beebe (Advisor) Subjects: